BACK OFF GOVERNMENT!

Freedom of Conscience Lost

2012-01-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

This is utterly the worst decisions I have seen from Obama in a good long while. Strategically however it's brilliant:

Most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control ...
(...)
...Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are exempt from the requirement, but religious-affiliated hospitals and universities only get a one-year delay and must comply by Aug. 1, 2013.
(...)
“This ruling forces religious organizations to violate the fundamental tenets of their faith, or stop offering health insurance coverage to their employees,” said the Republican Policy Committee. “Time will tell whether those institutions choose the former or the latter course — but neither option should be necessary, if the administration had not taken such an unbending approach to appease its liberal base.” (link)

Contraception is the ultimate wedge that Pro-Choice groups have used for years to divide the Pro-Life movement.

The Obama administration's choice could not have been more clever. Pro-Life supporters who favor contraception should see this for what it is: a cleverly disguised attack on the right to freedom of conscience.

If I decide to do, or decide not to do, particular things that you may or may not agree with based on my own conscience I should be allowed to those things so long as they don't interfere with the rights of someone else. The decision to use contraception or not affects no one's rights. It's a personal decision. There is no right to contraception by any stretch of the imagination.

If we do anything less than respect people's decisions on these particular issues than we might as well eliminate the concept of a "conscience" all together in society. Many died for that right throughout history - the right to believe in what many believe are crazy and ridiculous things that affect no one else.

You don't have to oppose contraception to disagree with this decision. All you have to be is someone that believes that someone's private life is his own business. Libertarians should be shouting down this move first and foremost.

Liberals should be shouting down this measure as it is entirely inconsistent with a state that stays out of the "bedrooms of the nation." It's a horrible abomination of anything any Progressive Democrat or Social Democrat has ever espoused. It's thought control on steroids. It's state control of sexual decisions.

Social Conservatives and People of faith, and even those people of faith with differing beliefs on the issue of contraception, should object to this on MORAL grounds. If we do not allow the free space in society for people to decide whether an act is moral or not we might as well forget about any other belief you may have. So long as the majority disagrees with you, you must shut up. This is entirely inconsistent with the concept of each one of us having an immortal soul whose health depends on the decisions we make in this life. Those decisions require free will which God has given us - only for Obama to take away.

Fiberal Party of Canada RIP

2012-01-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

What's come out of the Liberals recent convention?
1) A commitment to allow any tom, dick and harry to vote for the next leader of the party.

2) A Party President vote, hotly contested, with a nail biting internal division revealing 26 vote margin.

3) Unrealistic Potentially fatal Policy votes to legalize marijuana and a centralizing Trudeauesque like push to force provinces to provide access (aka fund) abortions.

The end result is a third party, with a poor base, dwindling membership and now with an open invitation for any special interest group to swoop in and radically take control. Imagine had the old federal PCs passed a similar measure pre-merger - David Orchard's face off with Peter MacKay would have ended quite different.

And a third party divided it certainly is - Sheila Copps has managed to be rejected a second time by her own political home. The first time being when she was forced straight out of politics by the Paul Martin Dictatorship that took hold circa 2005. Her return represented a potential reversal in direction for a Liberal Party dominated by Martin turned Iggy Puff Dons. I would suspect that this will temper Bob Rae's leadership ambitions.

But to make matters worse, the Liberals have still not managed to figure themselves out policy wise. Legalizing Marijuana? Really? Just how do they expect they will do this and maintain an open border with the US? Magic?

Don't get me wrong, I would support the move in an ideal world, but I would also like to win the 649 - neither isn't happening to soon.

And then they lob a gift to Stephen Harper and craft a policy to penalize provinces who refuse to provide funding for abortions. It's like a Conservative fantasy come true.

Harper, dealing currently with an open abortion rebellion in his caucus from pro-life MPs unwilling to wait any longer finds a Liberal Party willing to give him something that will simultaneously unite his caucus in opposition while at the same time drive the banning-abortion issue solidly into the background.

And on top of everything about these policies - did anyone bother to ask if Canadians will care? When the average Canuck is changing his 2 year old's diapers at 3am, will he really care about legalizing pot? As the average Canuck is rushing to work in the morning will he/she give one iota about abortion?

Did anyone in the Liberal Party even think about what Canadians care about right now? I dunno... maybe like the Economy - I'm just throwing out wild ideas here!

Hold on wait here it comes... Another National Daycare Program will be suggested next... What a mess!

2012 Predictions

2011-12-31T20:29:00.002-05:00

1. The PCs will be defeated in Alberta.

The PCs have had their 3 decade run. They're bereft of any new ideas. They've drifted into moderate political limbo so much that their wishy-washiness is eerily resembling the Federal Liberal Party.

In Alberta, political change seldom happens. But when it does it comes quick.

My bet is on the Wildrose Alliance winning government come May 31st.

2. Jean Charest wins another term.

Jean Charest's best before date passed last winter. The Quebec people know it. He's been in denial since... birth? His inability to recognize when the gig is up is starting to seem Chretienesque.

Yet his opposition is divided. He has no clear opponent. The PQ is in shambles.

The people of Quebec I believe are at a crossroads. There is a demographic crisis exploding in the province - it isn't having enough babies and yet it's welfare state is European in ambition. The population is very old, and there is an apprehension against mass scale immigration. The end result is mass scale erosion of Quebec's society, culture and an economy not keeping pace with the rest.

I firmly believe that this is facilitating the volatility we have seen in La Belle Province for years now. I expect it to culminate in the devastation of the PQ and the rise of another party as an alternative.

3. We will not have an Ontario Election in 2012.

I don't believe either of the provincial opposition parties are prepared to reface voters in 2012. Financially their base has been taped out by both a federal election and a provincial election in 2011.

Further, their is no impending challenge to Hudak or Howarth in their respective leadership roles.

The federal NDP is engaged in a serious leadership convention which will decide the fate of the Progressive movement in this country like nothing in the past half century. Provincial distractions, as Howarth I'm sure knows, can be a dangerous thing under those circumstances.

4. Peggy Nash wins the NDP leadership.

Mulclair is untrusted by the NDP brass. He hasn't had time to organize the Quebec base that would normally be his. I expect his candidacy has always been a measure to increase his standing within the party first and foremost.

Brian Topp I believe has failed to make a connection with the NDP base. He also has no seat. Without any parliamentary experience behind him, and an inability to debate well, he will find it difficult to compete with Mulclair. He also carries the baggage of being part of the ill-fated liberal-NDP-separatist "coalition."

Peggy Nash on the other hand has come from a union background, and as a former party president has those connections to make her palpable to the NDP establishment. She also has relatively low levels of baggage. My bet is with the NDP's preferential ballot she will emergence in front as everybody's second choice.

5. Romney will be the Republican Presidential Candidate.

The Republican Party has never been more in disarray. The level of division is amazing. No dominant candidates have emerged as front runners in the race. Romney, being the only consistent candidate polling wise, barely registers at 25%.

He'll win the nomination - because the other candidates are seen as far worse by either the GOP base or the establishment or both. Although I would expect Congressman Ron Paul to surprise many and further expose the heavy divisions percolating through the GOP these days. A win by him in Iowa or more states needs to be seen as what it is - a protest vote against the GOP establishment.

6. Obama will still be President of the United States.

Unfortunately for the US, Obama will win. Romney, bruised an bloodied from one of the most divided and scarring nominations, will be unable financially or organizationally to compete. Republicans won't unite with Romney. Obama will sail to re-election having one of the worst economic records in history.

But that's nothing to fret over for true Conservatives.

It's amazed me to watch the GOP having mental breakdowns over the fact that such notable Conservatives as Paul Ryan and Gov Chritie took a pass at the GOP nomination. Paul Ryan is more, and has acted more as a leader than Obama. So has Governor Christie. Ironically, young politicians will little power are having more influence in DC than old experienced politicians like Barak Obama.

I expect what will seem like defeat at first will turn into something else. Obama will be re-elected, but with a Congress firmly opposed to his agenda. There will be no taxing the rich. There will be no gross expansion of the state. There will be gridlock. And gridlock in government can sometimes be healthy.

Meanwhile principled Conservatives like Paul Ryan and others will emerge to challenge the status quo. It may not seem like it - but an Obama victory may manage to do the impossible: unite the GOP and keep Big Government in check.

Now I Disclaim Everything

Predictions are fun. They are also profoundly stupid. The concept that anyone can predict the outcomes of events depending on the individual choices of millions of people deserves to be ridiculed for the fantasy that it is.

Either people make successful predictions by making them so vague they have no way of loosing, or they make them so extravagant that when they do get one right it is noticed and the other barrage of wrong ones are forgotten.

Yet last year I did make some noticeably good calls. McGuinty is still Premier (Despite what the polls said would happen). There was an election going on in April as I predicted. Brad Wall is still Premier. But the NDP still rains in Manitoba. A 75% success rate can't be just luck can it?

Three years of predictions: 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Sesame Street Socialism

2011-12-09T14:43:00.001-05:00

It aint easy being green:

'A “food insecure” Muppet is helping to promote a national “Food for Thought” campaign that teaches poor families to seek out nutritious food and to eat on the taxpayers’ tab.
(...)
“What ‘Food For Thought’ does is remind people that eating healthy now gives them a good health outcome in the long term. So the folks you’re looking at up here, the programs that they represent, what ‘Food For Thought’ does is really a deficit reduction strategy, and we hope policymakers will take notice of that,” Greenaway said.
Greenaway didn't elaborate further on how this would work towards deficit reduction.(link)

First it was Obamacare, then Employment Insurance... pretty soon fighting obesity will be a 'deficit reduction strategy.' So will National Day Care, and just about any other top-down government-run program Progressives can dream up.

Calling anything you like a 'deficit reduction strategy' has now become one of those trendy political tag-lines politicians use over and over and over and over and over... until finally it gets so bad everyone has a vomit moment and suddenly the political world moves on...

I can still remember when calling something a 'deficit' was trendy. Does anyone still remember the 'Democratic Deficit?' What about the 'Infrastructure Deficit?' You see that was back when fighting deficits was seen as a something everyone could agree with - anyone would have to be nuts to argue against eliminating a deficit wouldn't they?

Really though is there anything nowadays that isn't a 'deficit reduction strategy?'

I've reached my 'vomit moment' how 'bout you?

Dipper Keystone Twits

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Halifax MP Megan Leslie is heading to Washington on Tuesday to urge U.S. legislators to hold off on deciding whether to approve the massive Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
(...)
“Harper’s been down there saying it’s a no-brainer,” Leslie said Monday. “But I don’t think he’s bringing the voices of a lot of Canadians. That’s only a particular sector who think this pipeline’s a good idea.”(link)

Did the NDP even consider the optics of having an Eastern MP, from their Eastern dominated caucus, go down to the US and argue against Western Oil?

It's not like the NDP doesn't have a good chunk of western MPs they could have chosen from. I'm just flabbergasted that a party that showed surprising political smarts in the last election besting the Liberal Party to become the official opposition would make such a terrible terrible decision.

It's the equivalent of sending Rob Anders (whom I do admire) to Halifax to argue against equalization.

Just a bonehead move.

Fiberals Until The Very End

2011-11-10T06:55:00.000-05:00

New figures show that, despite the Liberal claim the party spent "very close" to what it was legally permitted on this year's campaign, it actually spent far, far less.
(...)
"Do you guys make this s--- up on the fly? Are you kidding me?" Ian McKay said in an e-mail. "You're so wrong it is laughable. Don't give up your day job if you're actually considering journalism as a future career," he continued.
"I cannot stand by and watch as you publish a piece that is complete and utter rubbish."(link)

I expect that Justin Trudeau will immediately come out and offer a heartfelt sincere apology (filled with qualifications galore) on behalf of Liberals that he won't mean whatsoever.

Not to pick on Justin, this is a Fiberal Party wide problem.

It's called institutional arrogance. It's a pesky thing. Usually the first sign that you have it is you start believing you don't.

But, oh I forgot - the Liberal Party ran a brilliant campaign in 2011 and lost because of some sort of magical "disconnect" with voters... Arrogance, mission drift, and a profound hatred of anything rural, Western, or religious had of course not a thing to do with the result.

The Political Career of Frank Klees, RIP

2011-10-25T21:07:00.000-04:00

McGuinty must be giddy:

“There’s no doubt it makes it more challenging for both opposition parties,” a grim-faced Hudak acknowledged, portraying his former leadership rival Klees as a turncoat who ignored an edict that no Tory would vie to succeed retiring Speaker Steve Peters.
“Clearly, I’m disappointed. We all hoped Frank’s first goal would be to help us on the opposition benches in keeping this government on a short leash . . . Frank’s made a decision and Frank is Frank.”(link)

I don't quite know what Frank is thinking. This makes no strategic sense Klees. Not for his career or for his agenda.

The only thing I think, is that Frank has chosen suicide. He's 60 years old. He must figure he can't wait out another PC leader for his shot. That's a bleak assessment - but I can't help but come to that conclusion.

No Trespassing

2011-10-25T08:11:00.000-04:00

The Tories seem to have decided that criminals shouldn't hold the balance of power in Canadian society:

The law would permit people threatened with violence to commit a reasonable act to protect themselves or others, as well as use force to protect their property from theft, damage or trespass.(link)

Protect a person's right to self-defense?

Next you'll say we gotta protect people's right to own stuff (like a gun), and they're right to say whatever the hell they want without having a zealously bigoted bureaucrat coming after them for "offending" someone... That's just crazy talk isn't it?

Obama's GE Immeltisms

2011-10-12T07:53:00.000-04:00

It's like watching bad car salesman go...

“If Washington can agree on anything, it should be this — and it should be now,” the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness said in the report, to be presented to Obama at a meeting in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.(link)

Buy this car now! Limited time offer! If you and your wife can agree on anything agree on this!

The statement just makes no logical sense. It wraps itself in the cloak of "bipartisanship" by emphasizing agreement, yet at the same time holds an ultimatum indicating that the only thing that should be agreed on is this.

That alone presumes that Washington can "agree" on anything. Which further assumes that "agreement" is actually a good thing. Agreement and uniformity of opinion only comes through force - - Anything else is a lollipop land fantasy.

“We never thought there was going to be a silver bullet to create jobs,” Immelt told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Ok, this is the point where the dealer realizes he's overselling... Time to cover your butt - - "Now I'm not saying there is such a thing as the perfect car..."

Gee Immelt, with this much fine-print people may not buy for fear of a hidden "first born child clause."

“What we want to offer the president is a very broad set of ideas that can help mo[v]e the economy forward,” he said. “It’s comprehensive and it’s specific.”

(Insert Laughter here). How can it be both "specific" and "broad"... But don't forget it's also "comprehensive..."

Immelt's future as a car salesman is all but assured.

Can't Drink This

2011-10-01T07:08:00.000-04:00

OTTAWA — Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Rockstar and Monster should be renamed “stimulant drug containing drinks” and only be sold under the direct supervision of a pharmacist, an expert panel for Health Canada has concluded.(link)

Can't drink this. Can't eat that. Can't turn right. Can't move forward. Can't move back. Can't speak. Can't turn left. Can't jump. Can't drive. Can't own. Can't risk. Can't run. Can't walk. Can't crawl...

They might as well just tell us what WE CAN do. It would save a ton of time.

Liberal Tobacco Hypocrites

2011-09-30T08:05:00.001-04:00

The Anti-Tobacco Liberals are apparently not so much so when the end justifies the means:

“I have done crazy things,” Holland says in the audio recording. “Like...and if anyone repeats this I’ll deny it (until) the cows come home...I have gone to a shelter in the riding of St. Paul’s with a carton of smokes and said, ‘I’ll give you them after you vote.” I have done that...but they were already smokers...”(link)

Apparently this comment, according to Holland, was a joke. By the way this isn't her just denying it until "the cows come home."

People should be able to smoke whatever the hell they want so long as they don't harm others. The Ontario Fiberals should back off. Good luck on getting that from "Premier Dad." He'd rather ground us if we eat what we shouldn't, play where it's dangerous, and smoke what he'd rather not - and don't worry he'll make sure we make the right decisions on who to vote for - even if he has to exploit us in the process.

Update...

Holland has resigned, after making her fake confession.

The Liberals are now jumping on the offensive accusing Hudak of having ties to big Tobacco... I kid you not. You can't make this stuff up.

If you're going to make an apology, make it right or don't make it at all.

Saudi Canada

2011-09-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

I'm sure Ezra Levant didn't intent on it, but one of the curious unintented consequences of the Ethical Oil Ads, and their subsequent censure by CTV at the behest of the Saudis, has been to expose just how much influence the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia has in this country.

The fact that the Saudi's even care about their portrayal in Canuckland speaks volumes in itself, let alone the relative ease that the ads were pulled, shows some terrifying truths about the moral and (ironically) the ethical decay prevalent in this country.

Canada is definitely a more ethical country than Saudia Arabia (Despite what some CTV reporters seem to believe). But when our own media can't seem to stand up for our basic right to freedom of speech it definitely shows that our own historical ethicality is only half embraced by by our national elites. Can't fight the Saudi's - Lawsuits are too expensive. Notions of journalistic integrity are considered expedient by these Ivory Tower Newsmen.

What's worse is that these members of the "media party" have shown a willingness to take on lawsuits when it suits them. Damian Goddard was recently fired by the CTV child Sportsnet for merely expressing support for the traditional definition of marriage. Obviously his bosses were not concerned about the costs associated with any future lawsuits from Damian. Again the concept of freedom of speech seems to lost on the Saudi dominated Media Party.

Damian's lawsuit is pending, but obviously in this case the network in question decided that a potential lawsuit was worth the cost.

If anything the Ethical Oil ads have shown clearly that the Saudi way of doing things - oppresion, fear, and bullying - are rapidally finding a home in Canada.

That is to say if networks like the CTV and Sportsnet have any say in it.

It's a Saudi-Canada from now on.

Education Inflation

2011-09-27T08:32:00.000-04:00

“Undergraduate education is almost the equivalent of what a high-school degree used to be – almost everyone goes to university,” she said.
(...)
Mr. Steele thinks “students are being oversold on the idea of university, and some people are going purely out of a desire to earn a bump in income.” (link)

I bet McGuinty doesn't want many people reading this.

All of sudden cheaper tuition, more universities, and the "Education Premier" don't seem so useful anymore.

CBC: Nothing To Hide

2011-09-27T08:14:00.000-04:00

A motion to call the corporation to testify before MPs was the first item of business this fall for the Tories on the access-to-information, privacy and ethics committee. It is expected to discuss Tuesday which witnesses to call.
The CBC is scheduled to present arguments before the Federal Court of Appeals on Oct. 18 about why the information commissioner should not be allowed to view certain records.(link)

What are they afraid of?

That well find out that Strombo smells? (Come one we all suspect it).

That the Mansbridge is actually a robot that the CBC built and designed to be a super-duper-Anchor during the Cold War?

That Lisa LaFlame is secretly a fairy princess (Oops! Wrong network).

Oh wait, I forgot, this was all explained in the latest Conservative Hidden Agenda Memo (TM): this is all a conspiracy by Harper to find out how the next episode of Murdoch Mysteries ends... That sly snake PM of ours...

Daring To Question The King

2011-09-26T21:43:00.000-04:00

Doesn't always end well:

“If, Alexei Leonidovich, you disagree with the course of the president, there is only one course of action and you know it: to resign.”
Mr Kudrin responded with a jibe: “I will take a decision only after having consulted the prime minister.”
“You can get advice from whoever you want, with the prime minister if you want,” snapped back Mr Medvedev. “But as long as I am president, these decisions I will take myself.”(link)

Putin should just get it over with: have the coronation already.

Here We Go Again...

2011-09-09T07:26:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama laid out a $447 billion jobs package of tax cuts and government spending on Thursday that will be critical to his re-election chances but he faces an uphill fight with Republicans.(link)

Obama's taken the old adage "IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN" a little too literally.

If Obama were a poker player, he'd be the sorry bum chasing his losses from the past stimulus package gamble that failed so badly to save face.

The Best Decision Ever

2011-07-15T07:17:00.000-04:00

Took long enough.

The NOTW phone hacking scandal I think is a classic example of organizations encountering failure and not knowing what the hell to do. Instead of adapting and trying to learn from the failure there almost seems to be a stubborn inertia that sets in - a type of unwillingness to accept there is a problem as the company (or government) acts like a deer caught in headlights... And if you aint ready to accept the failure signal, then you aint ready to change.

It's only a shame that NI seems to be learning only now. It came too late for 200 employees of NOTW and it will cost the company dearly in lawsuits - not to mention the loss in reputation.

That being said, the shark like feeding frenzy that's being unleashed is just silly.

If you don't like FOX news, it seems that wild accusations are your best friend right now. Never mind that NI is a huge corporation. Never mind that FOX news is just a small chunk of that company. Conspiracy theories don't depend on facts.

What happened here is that a company, a small chunk of a larger corporation, failed in a spectacular fashion - and maybe even criminally so.

The larger corporation is liable - as it should be. The smaller company had to be shutdown because the problem was so widespread. The larger company now has to find a way to survive and learn.

Unfortunately, as with centrally planned economies, as a conservative I know full well that the nature of decision making from the top down by people 2000 miles removed from the situation is that hardly anyone ever learn from their mistakes. Bottom-up is a lot more successful when it comes to learning and adapting.

Best of luck to NI in learning lessons from the top-down.

The gun registry a waste of money?... No Really?

2011-07-13T08:11:00.000-04:00

It's a bizzare bunch of events not only as King Charest's government said it was considering a provincial gun registry to replace the one about to get sacked by the Feds, then they said they wanted money from the Feds to do it.

Hoeppner seems to be the only Tory to care to respond:

OTTAWA -- Provinces would be foolish to set up their own gun registry when the national database is scrapped this fall, said the Manitoba Conservative MP who led the charge against the federal long-gun registry last year.
“(The registry) has been proven to be a complete waste of money and a complete waste of effort,” Candice Hoeppner said.
“It doesn't combat crime, it certainly doesn't combat violent crime. The registry does nothing to stop individuals from acquiring or being able to possess a firearm.”

And those are the facts. If Quebec or Ontario, or Santa Claus wants a registry they can waste their own money.

Gun Registry Seperatism

2011-07-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

The Quebec government, stubbornly, is considering passing a long-gun registry of it's very own if Ottawa turfs the federal one.

How quaint. How wonderfully "autonomous". The Feds don't want to continue the war against Canadian Red Necks then Hell! - we'll show those Anglophone Bastards and make up one of our own!

Quebec has every right to do whatever it pleases, but Quebequers would do well to pay attention the facts before they give King Charest their blessing to create a Provincial Registry:

Since the registry's mandatory implementation in 2003, a grand total of a whooping 47 registered firearms have been used in homicides out of 2441 (less than two percent). It's obvious that criminals aren't stupid enough to register their firearms.(link)
The registry was originally budgeted to cost a net 2 million dollars. In reality (although the total costs are unknown) actual costs are known to be well over 2 billion dollars according to most estimates. That's at minimum an average of 43 million dollars per registered firearm homicide. Putting it in other terms, that at least 36 RCMP officers a year per registered firearm used in a homicide that we could have hired (or 1700 RCMP officers total). The waste in money is staggering.
The non-compliance rates have been absolutely horrendous. Regardless if you accept gun advocate numbers of a 70% non-compliance rate or the Liberals 10%, the fact remains that several extentions of registration deadlines were made for good reasons. 70,000 firearms at minimum remain unregistered in this country. This failure can't be ignored.(link)
The registry has had no effect on homicide rates, total suicide rates, or any other indicator. Registry advocates will no-doubt point to declining homicide rates since the 1990s as proof the registry works. Yet these same statistics were already declining by similar amounts before registry implementation. Nothing has gotten any better since the registry was passed. The registry has been ineffective in the truest sense of the word.(link)

In short the registry has done nothing except to waste taxpayer dollars that could have been spent doing things that could have actually reduced crime. It's treated Canadian hunters living in rural areas like criminals by placing them on a national registry - a distintion reserved for among others child molesters.

I can understand the need to do something to respond to the horrible attack that happened at the Ecole Polytechnique in 1989. However the registry has done nothing to prevent further such attacks from happening.

A far better approach to avoid future similar school shootings, would be to invest in better mental health iniatives, and other crime prevention measures that actually work.

McGuinty: The Government Slasher

2011-07-09T12:49:00.000-04:00

OPSEU announced on its central website Friday it was launching a “mini site” to fight the Dalton McGuinty government’s plan to shrink the public service.
“Starting this summer, Premier Dalton McGuinty will eliminate 1,900 vital public service jobs,” the OPSEU website says. (link)

Back in January, I postulated that McGuinty's government would be at the forefront of most of the labor unrest that this year of Austerity is unleashing.

I've been surprised at just how much attention the unions have been placing in Ottawa - a government that is by all indications depending on expiring infrastructure projects, attrition, and retirements to both reduce expenses, the public service and so balance the budget.

McGuinty is depending heavily on laying off members of the OPS to get where his government should have been a long time ago. What's worse is that McGuinty is probably having to do more cutbacks to fund the disastrous policies elsewhere in government currently eating away at funds.

Yet where is DePape holding up a "Stop McGuinty" sign? Where is "Working Families" coming out swinging against the horrible slash-and-cut McGuinty?

Their silence speaks volumes.

Just as Mike Harris's education policies in Ontario were actually borrowed from an Education commission started by the Bob Rae NDP, McGuinty is borrowing ideas from his right wing counterparts like Harper and Brad Wall to do what clearly needs to be done. Except that due to the blind partisanship of this country's Public Secotr Unions, he clearly is not facing the same level of "mob warfare" we've come to expect from the Canadian left.

A Right To Pornography?

2011-07-07T09:23:00.000-04:00

A 21-year-old Michigan inmate has filed a lawsuit that contends he's been stripped of civil rights because he isn't allowed to look at porn, claiming his lack of access to the material gives him a "poor standard of living" and "sexual and sensory deprivation."(link)

This is what happens when "positive rights" are given the same status as "negative rights."

A plague of Socialists

2011-07-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

All hail the Great And Infallible Gerald Caplan (PhD), the Great Academic, Socialist (er I mean "Social Democrat"), public policy analyst, former CCF member, and general all around "smarter than you" political activist.

Shhhhh!!! He's speaking. Let's hear what our unparalleled unequal has to say:

"We know what the Egyptians, or at least their head honcho Pharaoh, did to attract the wrath of G-d. He wouldn’t let His people go. But everyone paid the awful price – those ten vile plagues culminating in the genocidal murder of all Egyptian first-born.
"But what have Canadians done to evoke the wrath of the heavens? What have Ontarians done? Or poor Hogtowners? Though it’s our pharaohs who sin, only regular folks pay the price. It’s a trifecta, folks. Harper the asbestos killer in Ottawa, Ford the city-wrecker in Toronto, and, come October 6, very likely Hudak the math-challenged in Ontario. Won’t we be in a pretty pickle then? What have ordinary people done to deserve this plague of right-wing Conservatives? Equally mysterious, why have so many ordinary folks supported them?(link)

Why indeed.

This has to be the billionth time that Tories have been compared to Middle-Eastern dictators. It's apparently gotten so bad, that Progressives are resorting to quoting biblical Jewish Dictators to keep it alive. (Isn't that against the Progressive Atheist religion to believe that anything in the Bible is real?)

In one foul swoop this great genius of Canadian politics has called Harper a mass-murderer, Rob Ford a destroyer of entire cities, and Hudak (incomprehensibly) a moronic imbecile that can't count.

What's amazing about that last claim is that Tim Hudak, hate him or like him, has a Masters degree in Economics. Our good Doctor has his PhD in History. In the grand scheme of things my bet is that Hudak scored higher in grade 12 algebra that Dr Caplan.

Further Rob Ford has done nothing. He's been around for so little a little a time. Give him time, dear Doctor, to atleast prove you right before you level charges of "conspiracy to destroy cities".

Stephen Harper (contrary to Progressive Popular thinking) is not an African genocidal maniac. His government chose not to devaste an entire industry and put it's trust in companies and individuals in using Asbestos in a responsible manner. The good Doctor's use of the word "killer" is nonsense. If he really believed what he said he would have contacted the RCMP by now.

Calling Conservatives a "plague" is hard to joke about. I know I have cooties. Sorry to the world. But I insist on spreading them. If Dr Caplan wants, I can come over to his house for dinner tonight and spread a little of my plague (I'd be happy to). Really this is getting juvenile.

Seriously though the Doctor is spewing what would normally considered "hate speech." Just replace the words "right-wing Conservatives" with "Jewish." Or "Muslim."

Doesn't sound so innocent now does it? Infact it sounds a lot like a book written by a Nazi named Hermann Esser.

"Hardly anyone of right mind disagrees that it was the insatiable greed and reckless irresponsibility of Wall Street, which had been deeply unregulated over the past 30 years, that plunged much of the world into its economic tailspin.

The good Doctor would be best not to discount people who disagree with his opinions, lest he creates an ideological box wherein he can reside and the the rest of those "of non-right mind" can leave him alone to never grow or learn.

Further, I would suggest that Dr Caplan is falling into the same trap that many a Conservative has fallen into as a result of the financial crisis.

Conservatives have blamed government interference in the loan market (in some cases) as the sole reason for the economic disaster. The truth is not so simple. Cheap loans, perpetuated by low interest rates, bad government policy favoring those cheap loans in the US, and yes bad decisions by those in the Derivative industry lead to the financial disaster we saw.

The markets responded by attempting the correct the situation. Governments responded by bailing out the offenders and preventing what should have happened - failure for those that made those bad choices.

The real problem is a cult in this society that claims that certain organizations are "too big to fail." But I digress.

"...Bear in mind this is a man who thinks Jeffrey Simpson is 'centre-left.' Conservatives, Mr. Kay wrote, 'do not even pretend to have a solution to the inequality problem. Based on my experience at the Post, I’d say that most do not think of it as a problem at all...' "

I would agree with that point. Inequality, at least the way Progressives like Dr Caplan measure it, isn't inequality at all.

What matters to Conservatives, is not that there are some people that are very successful and a vast majority who aren't - that's a fact of life. Dr Caplan, or any "Social Democrat" can try to change that reality as much as they would like, but in my experience we fail far more often than we succeed.

The real measure we should look at in our modern civilization, is not how unequal success is, but rather, do we all start at the same line? Social mobility is the key point here. Artificial barriers to people's success is the real problem.

What Dr Caplan fails to recognize, is that we all should have a right to fail or succeed based on our own merits, efforts, and creations without it being interfered with unreasonably by others.

It makes good economics, and further anything less than having this right to fail or succeed is (in my opinion) destructive to the human soul. Humans thrive on challenges, adversity, and the need to have areas to channel their productive creative talents. I would argue that the very same policies Dr Caplan would support, destroys people's right to take chances and to fail or succeed.

Speaking from personal experience I can tell you how frustrating it is to being hampered from taking risks, thinking outside the box, challenging the rules, by those who would rather choose the illusion of stability and control.

Dr Caplan's commentary lives in a zero-sum world where "shamelessness is the signal characteristic of those who survive and prosper in this life..."

I had hoped I would be able to poke fun at Dr Caplan in good jest. But reading lines like these it's clear that to him, if I work my butt off, save every penny I earn, strive to upgrade my skills, and therefore "survive and prosper" I am very low on his hierarchy of human beings.

I honestly hope his views on humanity evolve one day - for his own sake.

Duccepe's Alternate Reality

2011-06-23T13:26:00.000-04:00

Mr Duccepe, the man who faced the worst assault and disaster of all political leaders on May 2 of this year, going from dozens of MPs to only 2 with his own seat lost, is insistent that Secession from Canada is a must for Quebequers to avoid "assimilation" :

“If Quebeckers don’t move, it’s unavoidable that they will be on the same slippery slope as francophones outside Quebec and Acadians,” he said. “It’s a falsehood to state that francophone communities are thriving.”(link)

Further Duccepe suggests a timeline of 15 years for this to occur.

I have to take issue with this assertion. Mainly because Mr Duceppe is cleverly avoiding discussing the fact that Quebec is ALREADY on the path of self implosion.

Having some of the lowest birth rates in the Country (in our recent history), combined with an aging population has some suggesting that Quebec's population will peak soon and could potentially drop over the next 50 years.

Regardless if Quebec's population actually drops, one thing is for certain: Statistics Canada predictions that the trend that has shown Quebec making up a lower and lower share of the Canadian population will continue.

If this continues, it's well more than plausible that British Columbia could overtake Quebec in terms of population by the end of the century.

Plotting the results of the Statitics Canada projections, along with actual census results you can see what really is happening:

Quebec, in Duccepe's words, has been on the path towards "assimilation", but hardly has this been "fulgurante." It's been a slow process, going on for years.

We can guess at a number of reasons for this trend. Perhaps it's been due to Quebec culturally abandoning it's Catholic, large family roots. Perhaps it's been due to Quebec's embrace of socialist low-groth policies. Perhaps, it even might be that Quebec has been too closed to anglophone immigration.

Regardless of the cause, it's highly laughable to claim that Canada is responsible for this trend. There's been no ethnic cleansing of Quebequers by the Canadian government. They have not been disadvantaged in Confederation - if anything you might argue they have been the bearers of great charity.

This population implosion is happening for reasons otherwise. There's no reason to believe it would change if Quebec left Canada.

If Ducceppe, and those like him, were really interested in stopping this trend, they should be looking to reform Quebec society, culture, and it's politics to make it a pro-family, pro-growth, pro-business jurisdiction.

Unless that happens Duceppe is right - Quebec is going the way of the Do-Do. But it won't be because of Canadian efforts, it'll be in spite of Canadian efforts.

Kill The Senate?

2011-06-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

NDP Pat Martin's plan to kill the senate:

“We may not be able to abolish the Senate by constitutional amendment, but we can cut off its blood supply,” he told The Globe.
(...)
“We might not be able to get rid of it,” the veteran Winnipeg MP said, “but we don’t have to fund it.”(link)

First off, I'm glad someone from the NDP has finally admitted that abolishing the senate through constitutional reform is a fraud policy doomed to fail.

Admitting that a constitutional amendment is no-go was a tactical mistake by the honorable MP that he may learn to regret.

Secondly, this isn't that bad of an idea for the Tories. So long as the senate refuses to pass reform legislation we can say "fine, we'll cut the taps off."

I can just see the howls of righteous indignation from the Right Honorable (And Unaccountable) Richard Neufeld.

What will the likes of Mr Neufel do? Appeal to the Canadian people?

What will he say?

"The Tories are forcing us into poverty through their hurtful cutbacks to our $100K+ salaries..."

Somehow I think the argument won't get much traction.

The Senate Nuclear Option

2011-06-22T09:04:00.000-04:00

Harper's Aussie meanderings are spooking some back home:

"Reform means reform. We would like the senators are elected and have fixed terms. We believe we are on track. But the comments of the Prime Minister in his speech in Australia always reflect his thoughts, "said a government source said yesterday in La Presse.
In that speech, Mr. Harper said: "Australia's Senate shows how a reformed upper house can function in our parliamentary system. And Canadians understand that our Senate, as it is today, must change or, as the old upper houses of our provinces, vanish. "(link)

To be fair Harper has not said he would consider abolishing the senate. Neither did Jason Kenney when he recently insinuated that the government would consider more "dramatic" options should the senate reform bill fail in the Senate.

One very real option is to pull a Mulroney: appoint more Senators. Tip the balance of power - but make sure that these guys Harper appoints stick by their word this time. That gives Harper the majority in the Senate he needs to reform it.

Yet Harper used the word "vanish" without much explanation. He would no doubt know the implications back home. This leads me to conclude that Harper intended to cause a splash.

He knows there is no appetite for the type of constitutional reform abolishing the senate would require. Yet every opposition party in parliament supports the notion of "abolishing" the senate. Including some provincial governments.

What I think this really is, is a concerted strategy by Harper to call the opposition's bluff. If they really believe in Senate abolition - we'll give it to them.

This puts the opposition in an awkward position. I don't believe for a moment that the Progressive left in this country actually believed in abolishing the senate so much as opposing the government's senate reform plans. The Canadian Senate has been a boon to the Canadian Left for decades acting as a nice socialist-second-thought to our Elected Accountable House of Commons.

With the Tories calling their bluff, and Senator's seeing that the PM is willing to call it quits with trying to fix the senate, the only option left for those opposed to having an elected accountable senate is to accept reform or face oblivion.